Building and method for constructing such a building

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a building for placing on a surface, for instance a house or office, the building comprising:—a support construction;—an exterior covering mounted against the outer side of the support construction;—an interior covering mounted against the inner side of the support construction,—insulation arranged between the exterior covering, interior covering and supported construction; wherein the support construction comprises a number of successively placed annular support elements, wherein the support elements extend substantially parallel and at a determined mutual spacing for the purpose of forming an interior space enclosed by the support elements. The invention also relates to a method for constructing such a building.

The invention relates to a building placeable on a surface, for instance a house or office. The invention also relates to a method for constructing such a building.

Numerous construction methods are known for the purpose of constructing a traditional building such as a house, office or the like. These construction methods have in common that different structural parts are placed successively at different stages of construction. A foundation is first of all formed in the surface (the ground). This foundation is generally heavy (for instance constructed from concrete) and can be arranged directly on the surface, for instance when the surface consists of a rocky ground, or additional ground reinforcement measures can be taken, for instance in the case of a soft ground in which piles are first driven and only then a further foundation laid. Once the construction stage of laying the foundation has been completed, a subsequent phase moves on to placing of other structural parts such as brick walls and the like on the foundation. In a still further phase a floor and/or roof is arranged on the walls.

In the case of wooden frame construction it is also usual to erect a dwelling on a foundation by first placing the wooden walls thereon and fixing a floor and/or roof to these wooden walls.

A drawback of these traditional construction methods is that the different structural parts, i.e. the foundation, walls and floors, are often not fixed to each other at all, and the stability is obtained by placing the different structural parts on each other. Even in cases where the different structural parts are coupled to each other, this coupling of the different structural parts is in general structurally weak. This has the result that in the case of extreme outside influences, for instance earthquakes and/or hurricane-force storms, such buildings are damaged relatively easily or, in some cases, simply collapse.

Use is more particularly made in a traditional construction method of the presence of gravitational force. Such a traditional building (in brick or wooden frame) therefore typically derives its strength from this force acting in one direction. If a traditional structure were to be subjected to the same load in upward or in lateral direction (for instance in the horizontal plane), it would then collapse immediately.

A further drawback of the known construction techniques is that the insulation, more particularly the thermal insulation and/or sound insulation, is interrupted at the position of the mutual connection between the different structural parts, for instance at the position of the connection of a floor to a wall. This can result in a reduction of the overall thermal insulation and/or sound insulation of the building. There is also a good chance of cold bridges occurring, and much care will have to be taken over the detail of such connections in order to reduce or avoid such cold bridges.

It is therefore a first object of the invention to provide a building and method for construction thereof with which an increased structural strength can be realized.

It is a second object of the invention to provide a building which can better withstand extreme external influences, for instance weather influences and/or earthquakes.

It is a further object to provide a building which allows a degree of freedom of layout without detracting from the overall thermal properties.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a building with good insulating properties.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, at least one of the above stated objects and/or other objects can be achieved in a building comprising:

- a support construction,

- an exterior covering mounted against the outer side of the support construction,

- an interior covering mounted against the inner side of the support construction,

- insulation arranged between the exterior covering, interior covering and support construction;

wherein the support construction comprises a number of successively placed annular support elements, wherein the support elements extend substantially parallel and at a determined mutual spacing for the purpose of forming an interior space enclosed by the support elements.

This construction makes it possible to embody the walls, the floor(s) and/or the roof in wholly similar manner to each other. The annular elements form a structurally very strong basis for the further erection of the building. The annular form of the support elements and the successive placing of these elements makes it possible to obtain a construction which is very stable even if relatively great forces are exerted on this construction.

In an embodiment of the invention the building, in particular the support construction thereof, is embodied such that the building is self-supporting. No further support provisions are necessary to keep the building standing. In a further embodiment the building is even embodied so as to be liftable as a whole so that the building can be easily displaced.

In a particular embodiment the building is a self-supporting, modular wooden construction. The building is further configured to be disposed in any orthogonal direction (X,Y,Z). The building can for instance be placed with a first face on the surface but can likewise also be placed with a second face, opposite the first face, on the surface. It is further possible without additional measures to stack a second building onto a first building.

The support construction can more generally be embodied so as to provide the building with substantially the same structural properties, such as strength and stability, in three orthogonal directions (X,Y,Z).

In embodiments of the invention a building can be realized which provides similar characteristics and resistance to ambient influences in any orthogonal direction (X,Y,Z). Because the construction is self-supporting it can as it were be placed upside down or laid on its side without losing its integral form, even when affected by gravitational force, wind or water pressure or snow load such as occur in our climate.

In an embodiment the building takes a self-supporting form and is placed via resilient dampers on the surface. The self-supporting character of the construction makes it possible to place the building as a whole on so-called dampers, resilient elements and piles, whereby the building can be put to optimal use in for instance areas with danger of flooding or unstable ground properties.

The support construction and preferably also the interior and exterior coverings can preferably be positioned and/or connected relative to each other via form-closed connections. The strength and accuracy of the construction are determined and obtained by applying form-closed positioning (the only correct fit determined by the design) and/or by simple (so inexpensive and well-known) connections (wherein connecting means such as adhesive, screws and nails can be applied). This construction method makes it possible to put together teams with very limited training for the purpose of realizing technically high-grade buildings.

In determined embodiments (for instance verandas) the stated insulation is omitted. In other embodiments however, insulating material is arranged between the exterior and interior coverings. The insulating material can be formed by rockwool and/or mineral wool. In other embodiments the insulating material is formed from natural material such as paper or cork. In determined embodiments use is for instance made of one or more optionally hollow elements of cork or material comprising cork, or use is made of cork or material comprising cork arranged in hollow spaces. The advantages of using cork will become apparent from the following.

In embodiments of the invention the annular support element substantially defines the form of a ring (the central part of which is of course absent). A support element more particularly forms an annular edge, the thickness of which is smaller than the width of the edge. In further embodiments the annular support elements are each substantially formed from plate material. The support elements therefore have a relatively small thickness. A stiff construction can however still be obtained by successive placing and mutual connection thereof. In a still further embodiment the annular support elements are a number of successively placed construction elements forming completely closed rings for the purpose of together providing a support for the floor, the walls and the roof of the building.

The mutual spacing between successive support elements can be selected subject to the dimensions, form and purpose of the building in order to obtain a construction which is as light as possible but nevertheless sufficiently strong. In determined embodiments the mutual spacing is however substantially constant. The mutual spacing can for instance vary between 10 cm and 100 cm, preferably between 30 and 70 cm.

The support elements can be mutually coupled by providing the outward and/or inward directed edge surfaces thereof with respectively an exterior and/or interior covering. The covering can comprise cladding, for instance of wood. The mutual coupling of the support elements can be formed by the cladding. Provided at module level however are individual coupling elements, for instance of guide pins and form-closed channels, with which the support elements can be positioned and fixed at the correct mutual distance relative to each other. In determined embodiments the building comprises a number of coupling elements which extend transversely of the successively placed annular support elements and with which the support elements can be coupled to each other.

The building can be constructed from a first support element for forming a support for mounting of a front exterior wall thereon (or for forming the front exterior wall itself), a second support element for forming a support for mounting of a rear exterior wall thereon (or for forming the rear exterior wall itself), and one or more further support elements arranged between the first and second support elements.

In embodiments of the invention a layer of cork is arranged on the outer side of the exterior covering and/or the inner side of the interior covering. In embodiments of the invention this layer of cork provides for a second or even third insulation shell. On the inner side the layer of cork for instance provides an increase in the temperature of the wall so that the amount of radiant heat increases, this having a positive effect on the comfort in the building.

The use of cork-based insulating material on both the inner and outer shell (on either side of the traditional cavity space) breaks new ground in thermal insulation and sound insulation for buildings.

The layer of cork can for instance be formed by spraying cork particles onto the relevant exterior or interior covering. The thickness of the thus resulting layer of sprayed cork is preferably between 4 and 8 mm, still more preferably between 5 and 6 mm.

The annular support elements and/or the exterior covering are preferably manufactured from wood, preferably laminated wood. Applying laminated wood (which is affected less by changes caused by ambient temperature, air humidity and the like) makes it possible to work much more precisely.

Compared to traditional wooden frame construction, the construction of the building can be based substantially on absolute tolerances in the different structural parts, resulting in a likewise known absolute tolerance for the whole construction. In traditional timber construction the construction is based on relative tolerances in relative structural parts because of the known working of wood under the influence of temperature and moisture differences. This means that for instance the holes at the end of the beam are positioned taking tolerances into account relative to this same outer end. Whether the beam is straight or warped is not taken into consideration here. According to embodiments of the invention use can thus be made of absolute tolerances and positioning because of the structural properties of laminated wood.

In determined embodiments the proposed building structure is characterized by a realized construction which is however also necessarily accurate to the millimetre, this enabling highly industrialized, wholly repetitive construction.

In embodiments of the invention an annular support element is manufactured integrally. In other embodiments the support element is assembled from two or more element parts which can be coupled to each other. An annular support element can in use for instance comprise two standing element parts connected via a lower lying element part and an upper lying element part, wherein the element parts are embodied for arranging respectively wall cladding, floor cladding and roof cladding thereagainst. The mutual coupling takes place with coupling means such as (though not limited to) corner pieces to which the element parts can be operatively attached, for instance using nails, screws or similar fixing means.

The building can be placed with said support elements directly or indirectly on a traditional foundation. Other embodiments provide for a placing unit, for instance a wooden or steel frame, which can be arranged on or in the surface.

In embodiments of the invention an annular support element is provided with a peripheral recess in which a separate panel-like part is placeable, for instance a wall part with glass and/or a door. The recess and the panel-like part are embodied here such as to enable a (limited) displacement, for instance several millimetres, in the plane of the panel-like part. The panel-like part is however fixed in the recess in a direction perpendicularly of the plane of the panel-like part.

The invention can also relate to an annular support construction as defined herein.

According to another aspect of the invention, at least one of the above stated and/or other objects of the invention can be achieved in a method for constructing a building, the method comprising of:

- arranging a number of standing annular support elements with mutual spacing and substantially parallel to each other on a surface;

- mutually coupling the support elements so as to form one structural whole;

- providing the support elements with a covering on the inner side and/or outer side.

Further advantages, features and details of the present invention will be elucidated on the basis of the following description of an embodiment thereof. Reference is made in the description to the accompanying figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a building according to the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a perspective front view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 before the roof covering is arranged;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the embodiment; and

FIG. 6 is a rear view of the embodiment.

FIGS. 1-7 show an embodiment of a building 1 according to the present invention. The building is placed on a foundation comprising a steel or wooden frame 2. Frame 2 is assembled from four support legs 3 which are mutually connected using girders 4. The support legs are anchored in known manner in the surface and girders 4 define a surface to which a frame 5 provided on the underside of the building can be attached. The building itself comprises a box-like assembly 6, on the outer side of which a wall covering 7, a roof covering 9 and an exterior wall 8 can be arranged.

Assembly 6 comprises a number of support elements 10. Support elements 10 can take a substantially annular form. In the shown embodiment a support element substantially defines a flat annular form and forms an independently standing construction element.

Support elements 10 (in the shown embodiment seven elements, although this number can of course be greater or smaller) are placed successively, this such that they extend substantially parallel relative to each other. The mutual spacing (a) between adjacent annular support elements 10 can vary. In the shown embodiment a smaller distance (a) is realized between the first and second support elements (as seen from the exterior wall) than between each of the following support elements 10. In the other embodiments this mutual spacing (a) can be different.

In the shown embodiment the annular support elements are constructed from a lower girder 11, an upper girder 12, a right-hand upright 13 and left-hand upright 14, and a number of corner pieces 15-18 which connect girders and uprights to each other. In a determined embodiment the girders, uprights and the corner pieces have the same or substantially the same construction, so that the annular support elements formed thereby have an essentially equal structural strength in all directions parallel to the plane of the support element. While in the traditional construction method the floor(s) often take(s) a heavier form than the walls, in the shown embodiment there is essentially no difference between walls and floors. The walls and floors are further not only fixed relative to each other by means being placed but are actually anchored firmly to each other using the corner pieces 15-18.

In the shown embodiment the annular support elements 10 are manufactured from plate material of a relatively small thickness, for instance of wood or similar natural material.

Insulating material (not shown in the figures) can be arranged in the intermediate space between peripheral edges 20 of each of the support elements 10. In a particularly advantageous embodiment elements of cork and/or material comprising cork are arranged between the walls.

The insulating material can be arranged all around the assembly, i.e. at the position of the two floors as well as at the position of the walls. The insulation can more particularly be arranged all the way around so that possible cold bridges are avoided as far as possible.

Covering 7, 9 can be arranged against outer edges 21 of support elements 10. Wall covering 7 can comprise exterior cladding 25 and covering 9 can comprise plate 26 provided with bitumen. A covering can optionally be omitted on the underside of assembly 6. Plate material 28 is likewise arranged on the inner side, more particularly on the inner peripheral edges of the annular support elements, in order to finish the interior of the building.

In the shown embodiment a construction which is as it were duct-like or box-like is obtained which has yet to be sealed on the front side with an exterior wall 8. In the shown embodiment the front side is for instance sealed with a wall part consisting of a window frame 29 in which glass panes 30 are provided. The wall part is arranged against the first annular support element 10, although window frame 29 is more particularly arranged (not as structural part) against the front side of the associated support element.

An (at least partially) box-in-box construction can be formed in embodiments in which both exterior cladding and interior cladding are applied. Such a construction can result in exceptionally good insulating properties.

Because essentially no distinction is made between the wall and the floor in terms of structural strength and each of the annular support elements more particularly forms one whole, an exceptionally sturdy structure can be obtained. In determined embodiments it is even possible for the building to take a sturdy form such that it can be lifted up using hoisting means (not shown) and can be placed as one whole on the foundation, or at least on frame 2.

A particular feature of an embodiment of the construction according to the invention is further that the cavity between inner and outer plate of the walls can extend into the cavity at the position of the floor or the cavity at the position of the roof. As shown in FIG. 1, the cavity can be wholly and continuously filled with insulating material. This results in an exceptionally high insulating value of the building as a whole. Use can particularly be made here of hollow insulating elements of cork-like material, for instance as described in the Netherlands patent application NL 2009530, the content of which must be deemed as incorporated herein.

Although FIG. 1 appears to show that cladding 25 on the outer side of the building is first formed into one whole and then placed over the annular support elements 10 in order to fix the exterior cladding against the building, the invention is not limited hereto. Any manner of fixing the exterior covering against the support elements is possible, for instance when plate material is arranged between two successive support elements at a time in order to successively seal the cavity parts on the outer side.

It has been found that the proposed construction method produces a strong construction such that the buildings constructed in this manner can withstand very heavy storms, and sometimes even a hurricane-force storm in some cases. It is further possible to construct the building entirely from natural material, for instance by embodying both the support elements and the cladding in wood. It is of course also possible to use other materials.

In traditional construction it is usual to make use of a cavity wall or the like, wherein (also in the case of wooden frame construction) insulation in the cavity or space between inner and outer wall is typically utilized for insulation purposes. In order to improve the thermal and sound-insulating properties of the building, in determined embodiments a construction method can be applied wherein use is made of shells which result in a multi-layer compartmentalization. The construction is characterized by a cork-based outer layer which serves as thermal insulator, but also as water (moisture) air barrier. The construction uses the cavity space between the construction elements to provide stationary air in addition to thermally or sound-insulating materials. A cork-based (insulating) layer is again arranged on the inner side, whereby a second large thermally insulating transition (in addition to the known cavity) forms part of the construction.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments thereof described herein. The rights sought are rather defined by the following claims, within the scope of which numerous modifications can be envisaged. 

1. A building placeable on a surface, the building comprising: a support construction including an outer side and an inner side; an exterior covering mounted against the outer side of the support construction; an interior covering mounted against the inner side of the support construction; and insulation arranged between the exterior covering, the interior covering, and the support construction; wherein the support construction comprises a number of successively placed annular support elements, wherein the successively placed annular support elements extend substantially parallel and at a determined mutual spacing for the purpose of forming an interior space enclosed by the successively placed annular support elements.
 2. The building as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support construction is embodied to make the building self-supporting and/or liftable as a whole.
 3. The building as claimed in claim 1, wherein the building is a self-supporting, modular wooden construction which is configured to be disposed in any orthogonal direction.
 4. The building as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support construction is embodied so as to provide the building with substantially the same structural properties, including strength and/or stability, in three orthogonal directions.
 5. The building as claimed in claim 1, wherein the building takes a self-supporting form and is placed via resilient dampers on the surface.
 6. The building as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support construction is positionable relative to and/or connectable to each other by form-closed connections.
 7. The building as claimed in claim 1, wherein the determined mutual spacing between successive annular support elements is substantially constant and/or wherein the determined mutual spacing varies between 10 cm and 100 cm.
 8. The building as claimed in claim 1, wherein the exterior covering and/or the interior covering comprises cladding.
 9. The building as claimed in claim 1, wherein a layer of cork is arranged on an outer side of the exterior covering and/or an inner side of the interior covering.
 10. The building as claimed in claim 1, wherein the insulation is formed by one or more hollow elements of insulating material, and/or wherein the insulation is formed by one or more hollow elements filled with insulating material.
 11. The building as claimed in claim 1, wherein the successively placed annular support elements and/or the exterior covering are manufactured from wood.
 12. The building as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of successively placed annular elements is directed with a flat side toward a flat side of an opposite one of the successively placed annular elements.
 13. The building as claimed in claim 1, further comprising coupling elements extending transversely of the successively placed annular support elements for mutual form-closed positioning and coupling of the successively placed annular support elements.
 14. The building as claimed in foregoing claim 1, wherein at least one of the successively placed annular support elements is provided with a peripheral recess in which a separate panel-like part is placeable, wherein the recess and the panel-like part are embodied so as to enable a limited displacement in the plane of the panel-like part.
 15. The building as claimed in claim 1, wherein the successively placed annular support elements with the exterior and interior coverings form an elongate, structurally autonomous box-in-box construction.
 16. The building as claimed in claim 15, wherein the determined mutual spacing between the interior and exterior coverings forms a continuous, substantially uninterrupted insulation shell around the inner box of the box-in-box construction.
 17. The building as claimed in claim 15, wherein both the interior and exterior coverings comprise insulating material, for the purpose of forming a continuous, substantially uninterrupted second and third insulation shell around the inner box of the box-in-box construction.
 18. The building as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the successively placed annular support elements is manufactured integrally.
 19. The building as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the successively placed annular support elements comprises in use two standing element parts connected via a lower lying element part and an upper lying element part, wherein the two standing element parts are embodied for arranging respectively wall cladding, floor cladding and roof cladding thereagainst.
 20. The building as claimed in claim 1, further comprising placing units for arranging in or on the surface which are configured for arranging of the building thereon.
 21. The building as claimed in claim 1, wherein the building is configured for placing in areas with danger of flooding or unstable ground.
 22. An annular support construction for use in a support construction of a building, the annular support construction comprising: a number of successively placed annular support elements; wherein the number of successively placed annular support elements extend substantially parallel and at a determined mutual spacing for the purpose of forming an interior space enclosed by the number of successively placed annular support elements.
 23. A method for constructing a building, the method comprising: arranging a number of standing annular support elements with mutual spacing and substantially parallel to each other on a surface; mutually coupling the number of standing annular support elements so as to form one structural whole; and providing the the number of standing annular support elements with a covering on an inner side and/or an outer side thereof.
 24. The method as claimed in claim 23, further comprising fixing plate material against respective end inner edges and/or end outer edges of the standing annular support elements.
 25. The method as claimed in claim 23, further comprising arranging insulating material between the standing annular support elements.
 26. The building as claimed in claim 6, wherein the interior and exterior coverings are positionable relative to and/or connectable to each other by the form-closed connections.
 27. The building as claimed in claim 9, wherein the layer of cork includes a layer of sprayed cork.
 28. The building as claimed in claim 9, wherein the layer of cork has a layer thickness of between 4 and 8 mm.
 29. The building as claimed in claim 10, wherein the insulating material includes cork or a material comprising cork.
 30. The building as claimed in claim 11, wherein the wood includes laminated wood. 